Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth first stormed onto the scene as a contestant on “The Apprentice” nearly five years ago and quickly drew attention for being assertive and aggressive and some other, more colorful words.
Now she’s written a book about how women can get what they want in the workplace. It’s called “The Bitch Switch: Knowing How To Turn It On and Off.” We spoke recently with the woman whom TV Guide has labeled the all-time top villain of reality TV. Guess what? She’s very pleasant.
Q: First of all, are you just going with Omarosa now, a la Madonna and Cher?
A: It wasn’t something I chose. It was kind of like the press just dropped my last name.
Q: Are people often scared of you when they meet you?
A: (Laughs) I hope they are scared, because I play a bad girl on TV. . . . But really, when people meet me they are disappointed because I’m nice.
Q:How can a woman be assertive in the workplace without being labeled a shrew?
A: This is why the title of my book is so provocative. You can do everything right in your mind, and still you are labeled a bitch. . . .
You can try to live up to everyone’s expectations and still be labeled that. When I look at the state of women now, I don’t want women to be paralyzed by that word. . . . I say go for it.
Forget the labels. Go for what you want. . . . Women are underpaid. . . . We are not represented.
Q: On the flip side, how do women avoid being doormats?
A: First of all, define what the switch is and use it to your advantage. . . . I use Jennifer Aniston as an example a lot in the book.
She was a doormat. Angelina Jolie would not have taken my man. I would have fought that. . . . He’s the finest-looking man on the planet. I would have been on that movie set every single day. I would have said, “Angie, why are you lookin’ at my man?” Often, women don’t even realize they are being walked on. . . . It is never good to let people take advantage of you. Until we stop this pattern of accommodating everyone else, we will never advance.
Q: So it’s not necessarily a bad word?
A: I am not using it in a derogatory way. . . . It’s a switch; it’s an action. . . . I do have a switch. I turn it on to get what I want, and I turn it off when I’m done.
Q: If you were a man, would anyone criticize your tough talk and behavior?
A: No. This is evident on this season of “The Apprentice.” Piers Morgan is the biggest jerk on the planet, and he is rewarded and applauded, and I’m criticized.
I am not advocating that women walk in the office and be crazy. We just need to be more strategic.
Q: Being feisty has brought you a lot of attention. You are good TV, right?
A: I’ve done 25, 30 shows since “The Apprentice,” but people love that character, and they want to see that. . I have seen people provoke other celebrities. . . . I don’t feed into that. I would never give anyone that power. I am much too smart for that.
